The 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee kicks off today, an annual
celebration of America's passion for competitive spelling. We here at
the Visual Thesaurus know just how deep that passion runs: our own Spelling Bee,
launched less than a year ago, has already attracted tens of thousands
players who have tried their hand at spelling a grand total of more
than 2,000,000 words. And all of the data that we've collected thus far
is providing new insights into the mysteries of English spelling,
pinpointing the words that are the most devilishly challenging — even
for the very best spellers. Continue reading...
The 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee kicks off today, an annual
celebration of America's passion for competitive spelling. We here at
the Visual Thesaurus know just how deep that passion runs: our own Spelling Bee,
launched less than a year ago, has already attracted tens of thousands
players who have tried their hand at spelling a grand total of more
than 2,000,000 words. And all of the data that we've collected thus far
is providing new insights into the mysteries of English spelling,
pinpointing the words that are the most devilishly challenging — even
for the very best spellers. Continue reading...
Shannon Reed wraps up the school year with a look at teaching Henry
David Thoreau's "Walden" in the language arts classroom. Continue reading...
Emily Listfield's latest novel was inspired by the question: What
happens when you think you know what the person you love is thinking —
and you're dead wrong? Continue reading...
McDonald's is grafting acute accents onto everyday words in its McCafé ad campaign. Will the wordplay work?
Continue reading...
Know Your '90s Catchphrases
May 22, 2009
"Psyche!" "Don't go there!" "Take a chill pill!" "Not!" The Children of the '90s
blog takes a loving look back at catchphrases that "enjoyed a
substantial heyday before being put to rest for being insanely
irritating."
Thesaurusi?
May 20, 2009
How do you pluralize the word "thesaurus"? Both "thesauruses" and
"thesauri" are perfectly acceptable. But would you believe
"thesaurusi"? It's rare, but it's out there. Brett Reynolds, professor
of English at Humber College, investigates the pluralization error on
his blog English, Jack.
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Red Pen Diaries: "Impactful"
Aiman T.
said,
"As medicine has impact on life, I looked in the Lancet and the BMJ,
two very important medical journals. I found one occasion of
"impactful"." - Today, 6:22 PM
Visual Thesaurus Spelling Bee: Two Million Words and Counting
Ben Zimmer
said,
"Randy: That would be tokens, not types.
(For more on the type-token distinction, see this article .)"
- Today, 8:17 AM
Randy Alexander
said,
"Hey! I thought English only had one million words! At least that's
what Mr. Payack has been trying to tell us. But hopefully nobody trusts
him..." - Today, 5:15 AM
Which Words Do You Love and Which Do You Hate?
Julianne A.
said,
""Amazing" just drives me nuts! It is so over used by everyone,
everywhere. I don't think they really understand the meaning of the
word; there can't..." - Today, 3:00 AM
Don H.
said,
"I appreciate "perambulate" Daniel. Without it we wouldn't have the
word "pram" -- and then Monte Python couldn't have written: It's a busy
life..." - Sunday May 24th, 5:34 PM
Daniel C.
said,
"I'd also like to add that I really like the words 'perambulate' and 'perambulation'. I'm a sucker for the classics."
- Sunday May 24th, 1:16 PM
Jane B.
said,
"Very good! What I was wondering was this. With those 's' words, do you
pronounce them with the 'zed' (another thing I had to learn when I
moved..." - Saturday May 23rd, 7:12 PM
How can VocabGrabber
help students prepare to analyze a New York Times article on the
ethical implications of commercial sites that assist students with
their homework assignments? Continue reading...
Recent Lesson Plans:
Clicking your Way to Poetry: Composing Word Association Poems with the Visual Thesaurus
April 28, 2009
Know Your Polygons!
March 23, 2009
- 1 Comment
Using Words as a Way into Rick Riordan's "The Lightning Thief"
February 28, 2009
- 2 Comments
In the April edition of the Visual Thesaurus crossword puzzle, we're
celebrating National Poetry Month. Figure out the hidden word chain and
you could win a Visual Thesaurus T-shirt! Continue reading...
We're tremendously excited to present a new feature on the Visual Thesaurus website called VocabGrabber,
a tool that intelligently extracts words from any document you're
interested in. All you need to do is copy a text and Vocabgrabber will
instantly pull out the most useful vocabulary words and show you how
those words are used in context. You can sort, filter, and save the
lists, and also view Visual Thesaurus wordmaps and definitions. It's a
boon for students, teachers, English language learners, or anyone who
wants to bring some interactive fun to vocab learning. Continue reading...
Recent Announcements:
Word Lists: Sharing the Lexical Love
March 24, 2009
- 1 Comment
Introducing... Our New Page for Educators
March 5, 2009
- 2 Comments
The VT Spelling Bee, Now Even Better!
October 28, 2008
- 1 Comment
Now Wear This!
November 8, 2006
Give your favorite somebody your favorite word map! Now you can order a
Visual Thesaurus word map on a t-shirt, mug, even a postage stamp. Simply
search for a word, click on the "Share" button on top right hand of the
Visual Thesaurus window, and follow the easy steps. We can't think of a better gift -- or a gift to yourself, for that matter! (Hey, we're biased!)
Incorporate the Visual Thesaurus into your blog or website, add it to your
home page, or use it from Microsoft Word. Learn all the ways that we offer
to make the Visual Thesaurus more convenient to use and easier to share
with your friends, family, and colleagues:
- Add a shortcut to your desktop
- Add the Visual Thesaurus to your browser's toolbar
- Embed the Visual Thesaurus into your blog or web page
- Add the Word of the Day to your blog or web page
- Link to the Visual Thesaurus
- Use the Visual Thesaurus from Microsoft Word
